StyleLab-Montreal: Budding fur brand Eläma in the mix at trade show

Eläma, a budding fur line, will be shown at StyleLab, running March 8-10 at the Palais des congrès. But it is not a fur show. About 62 brands from Montreal and beyond will exhibit everything from outerwear to ready-to-wear, jewelry to handbags and ties. A special section will feature Quebec fashion designers, including Marie Saint Pierre, UNTTLD, Nisse and Pedram Karimi.

Thank Google.

The search engine steered sisters Rim and Rita Elias toward a successful start in the fur business. A computer guru friend did the research: “The word most searched in fur is actually ‘vest,’ ” Rim said. “It’s so easy to wear and it’s easy access into the fur industry.”

The sisters, both with day jobs, ran with it, creating a niche business in fur vests only six months ago.

They designed 10 vests, wore them, got orders, and voilà, their brand, Eläma — Finnish for “the good life” and also found through Google — was born. The line is gaining traction and expanding: P.K. Subban is wearing their cashmere and silver fox collar coat, they’re branching into accessories and full fur coats, and they are taking their line on the road to Toronto Fashion Week and possibly the Chicago Outerwear Luxury Show.

First, however, the brand will be showcased starting Sunday at StyleLab-Montreal, the trade show created last year by the Fur Council of Canada to replace NAFFEM, the premier trade show for fur in North America for 31 years.

Rim and Rita Elias’s Jackie vest from their budding Eläma line, to be shown at Style Lab Montreal, running March 8-10 at the Palais des congrès. COURTESY ELAMA </p><p>

The Elias sisters don’t know what to expect from the show: “To have two or three boutiques to carry our brand would be good. We’re also there as a first step for awareness.” said Rim, 29, a product manager at Biersdorf.

“We’re testing the market. Our products are unique, they’re niche, so we want to see who is the client who wants it, and who has the vision to take it to the world,” added Rita, 27, a chartered accountant at L’Oréal.

StyleLab runs March 8-10 at the Palais des congrès, with styles for next fall and winter on display, but it is not a fur show. About 75 brands from Montreal and beyond will exhibit everything from outerwear to ready-to-wear, jewelry to handbags and ties. A special section will feature Quebec fashion designers, from the established like Marie Saint Pierre to new generation UNTTLD, Nisse and Pedram Karimi.

Nearly 500 buyers have registered and another 125 or so industry representatives will attend, said Teresa Eloy, marketing and communications director for the show.

“Our fur salons are turning more and more into outerwear and accessory boutiques, to be able to sell 12 months a year,” Eloy said, explaining why the fur industry is spearheading a mixed-product show. “And fur is being sold more and more through ready-to-wear boutiques.”

It is a challenge to draw buyers, given the packed schedule of runway shows and trade shows that attract media and buyers from February through April. Trade shows cater primarily to buyers, and runway shows from New York to Paris also attract buyers from high-end retailers.

Joshua Fagan, an owner of the JoshuaDavid boutique in Westmount, which has opened a branch in Toronto, is registered as a buyer, but is not certain he will attend. He has already been to three trade shows in New York this season — the Coterie, Capsule and Edit — but skipped the massive Magic show in Las Vegas.

“I would go to see if there are local up and coming designers that would be commercially viable,” Fagan said, adding many new designers contact him directly. He might check it out: “It can’t hurt,” he said.

Paul Twigg, with boutiques in Grosse Pointe, Mich., and Windsor, Ont., is an enthusiastic StyleLab buyer — last year was fabulous for him, he said. “It was just a fresh new show,” he said, adding he found new suppliers.

“We’re clearly in the fur business, but our product mix is diversifying,” said Twigg, who attended NAFFEM for about 15 years. “It’s like the entire industry turned around and rebranded itself, and they just hit the nail on the head.”

Another bonus, besides Montreal’s restaurants, is the low Canadian dollar. “If it keeps going (down), we’ll have a ball game,” Twigg said.

As for the end of NAFFEM, he does see it as sad for Montreal. The Chicago fur show is now the must-go, Twigg said, although because it is at the end of April, he has already done much of his buying. Many, but not all ,of Montreal’s furriers are showing at StyleLab, including such stalwarts as Natural Furs, Hilary Radley and Musi; many will also go to Chicago. A rival outerwear trade show that began last year in Montreal appears to have been abandoned.

But outerwear is a big focus, particularly as the show is a preview of next fall and winter. Also coming to Montreal for the first time is Bojana Sentaler of Toronto, whose emerging line of alpaca coats, called Sentaler, has been picked up by Holt Renfrew. She is coming to Montreal looking for Canadian and international buyers; next season, she hopes to show at the Coterie.

Sentaler, a business school graduate, saw a gap in the Canadian market for high-end, but not ultra-pricey coats. Her pieces ring in at about $750 to $1,800.

The Elias sisters, meanwhile, are passionate about fur. They took a line of credit on their condo in Old Montreal and have invested about $60,000 in the business so far. They are being mentored by the fur council and are working with furriers with different specialties for their pieces: André Morin, Euroline and Luna among them.

They have great expectations and are clear on their goals: to create a prestige brand and export to the U.S. and well beyond. They use high-quality Canadian and European pelts, with a price range from about $700 to $3,000, with full mink coats going for about $6,000.

“We’re coming here to change the way people see fur,” Rita said of StyleLab. “We’re thinking about fur to go to work — it just gives you that glam. We’re thinking of fur not just as outerwear, but as an accessory.”

The mix of products is an interesting idea, Rita said of the trade show. “In the end, it’s going to be better to just focus. I would prefer niche.”

Their passion and enthusiasm is palpable.

“We just got into this industry, we saw who was behind it — we really fell in love with the people. Everything is made in Montreal. We were so impressed with the craftsmanship and what we could do with an idea,” Rita said.

“The stars are aligned. We fell on great people. We kind of have to pinch ourselves,” Rim said.

An alpaca cape from Sentaler, a Toronto line of alpaca coats. The brand will be on display at Style Lab Montreal, a trade show at the Palais des congrès. COURTESY SENTALER

A coat by Pedram Karimi shown at Toronto Men’s Fashion Week. Karimi is among the Quebec designers to be showcased at Style Lab Montreal, March 8-10 at the Palais des congrès. Styles for next fall and winter will be shown at the trade show. PHOTO SHAYNE GRAY

A look from Nisse, a Montreal line that will be showcased at StyleLab-Montreal. COURTESY NISSE

Marie Saint Pierre’s Mayor dress for fall 2015. Saint Pierre is among a contingent of Quebec designers who will be represented at StyleLab-Montreal. COURTESY MARIE SAINT PIERRE

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